Bulgarian archaeologists begin summer digs at Perperikon site
The annual summer archaeological digs at Bulgaria’s ancient sacred site of Perperikon began on June 25 2018, professor Nikolai Ovcharov told Bulgarian National Radio.
As in the previous two years, the focus will be on the southern side of Perperikon, Ovcharov said. “We’re talking about huge neighbourhoods, which could take 15-16 years of digs to be fully unearthed,” he was quoted as saying.
“This year, we plan to link the southern side, what has been dug up so far, with the palace-temple and the acropolis,” Ovcharov said.
Ovcharov said that the archaeological season at Perperikon, the 18th consecutive year of excavation on the site, will last until September. The project has secured 250 000 leva in funding for this year, he said.
Perperikon, in Bulgaria’s eastern Rhodopes region, about 15km from the town of Kurdjali, has been the site of various forms of religious activity from about 7000 years ago, having first been used by the Thracians. The site is a popular tourist attraction and long-term archaeological work continues to unveil new discoveries.
(Perperikon photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
